Did
you ever hear your parents or grandparents wax nostalgic about
the radio shows of their childhood? Or perhaps you're old enough
to remember the likes of Fibber McGee & Molly, Jack Benny
and Abbott & Costello.
In its heyday, the '30s and '40s, AM radio was as popular as
TV is today. Families would gather around bulky console radios
in their living rooms and listen to classics such as "The
Lone Ranger," "Burns & Allen" or "The
Shadow" just as today's families watch programs like "Beavis
& Butthead," "Beverly Hills 90210" or "Wheel
of Fortune."
Maybe you've wondered about those old radio shows and why your
folks can't stop talking about them when someone brings up the
subject. Or perhaps you simply can't stand to watch one more
rerun of "Cheers." If that's the case, two local stations
offer alternatives that are certain to get your imagination working.
"KJOI Radio Theatre" airs weekdays from 8 p.m. to 9
p.m. on the KJOI stations (KJQI AM 1260 and KOJY AM 540). And
each evening at 9 p.m., KNX AM 1070 breaks its hard news format
to run a series called "KNX Drama Hour," which repeats
at 2 a.m. for night owls. (See schedule on page 16.) These shows
aren't just for the senior set, according to Gary Nice, president
of Equity Radio Network, which sells the programming to KNX.
"A lot of stations think it's for older people, but a lot
of younger people like them," he said. "I'd say the
young and middle-aged people are enjoying this. It's not just
for people 65 and over."
Nice has agreements with stations in 22 markets to broadcast
the shows. Charles Michelson, an 83-year-old Beverly Hills program
distributor, supplies the programming to Equity. "He's been
in the radio business all his life," Nice said. "I
wanted to syndicate something different. I wanted to find a niche.
Originally, I was syndicating talk shows, but they're a dime
a dozen nowadays - especially conservative talk shows."
Others have attempted similar ventures, but no one had access
to as much programming as Michelson and Nice.
"We have all 52 episodes, and we can feature the same program
each week so people can follow it," Nice said. "[The
stations] can air it in order. You start to look forward to it.
'When Radio Was' (KJOI's syndicate) doesn't run it in order.
We're doing it just the way it was then.
"It's TV without all the pictures. I've gotten calls from
KTRH (Houston) and KMOX (St. Louis). Every station says people
are calling them and thanking them for the shows."
Ask almost anyone who was alive in the '30s and '40s - radio's
"golden age" - and they're sure to gush about their
favorite programs. There was no TV to dull the imagination in
those days. "AM radio beat the hell out of other media,"
Rod Page, a 30-year San Diego radio personality, said. "There
was so much more participation. It was larger than life. Today
we get so much visual that we don't have to use our minds. Radio
is infinite. It's whatever you want to bring to it."
Harry Goldstein, a retired radio actor who was a regular on "The
Lone Ranger," "The Green Hornet" and "Sgt.
Preston of the Yukon," agreed. "TV is so graphic,"
Goldstein said. "It's a lazier way of listening or watching.
You had to use your imagination [with radio]. And your imagination
was fed by great writers. The sound effects were very important
too." During the Great Depression, dramatic radio served
as an escape from financial woes. "You could forget about
your troubles through the radio," Page said. "It was
like a good book." Programs like "The Lone Ranger,"
Jack Benny and Burns & Allen became popular in the early
'30s. The networks, CBS, NBC, Mutual, and later, ABC, quickly
caught on to the growing attraction of entertaining radio and
competed for actors, comedians and directors.
Jack Benny, the tightwad violinist who was on for more than 20
years, was a big hit. (On Saturday nights, KNX revives the spirit
of Benny, along with those of Burns & Allen.) "It was
satire," Page said. "He never made fun of anybody but
himself. Jack Benny's character was stingy, vain and effeminate.
He was sometimes like a girl, but they always had a character
with a higher voice than him. He was always the victim. He gave
all the funny lines away, but he had great timing."
Timing - not necessarily comedy timing - was a necessity for
a radio actor, according to Goldstein. "Those shows were
precision-timed," he said. "You learned to handle the
time element. You couldn't do it any other way. We never improvised."
Listeners can hear Goldstein in "The Lone Ranger" and
"Sgt. Preston of the Yukon," a Western series focusing
on the adventures of a Canadian Mounted Police officer stationed
in the wilds of Yukon.
"I started out as an actor while I was a senior at Wayne
State," Goldstein said. "I was a teacher in the Detroit
public schools. My schedule allowed me to act. It was a part-time
job that paid more than the teaching job." Eventually, Goldstein
gave up his teacher role to become a freelance actor "for
anyone who would hire" the young man. "It was a very
pleasant way to make money," he added. "Sgt. Preston"
airs Monday evenings.
Welles and Westerns
Well-known TV westerns like "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke"
and "The Rifleman" were inspired by radio westerns
such as "The Lone Ranger," "Tales of the Texas
Rangers," "The Six Shooter" and "Hopalong
Cassidy." KNX carries them all, and KJOI has "Hopalong
Cassidy." The "KNX Drama Hour" lineup also features
an Orson Welles classic - "The Black Museum," a BBC
and Mutual Network-produced show that was launched in 1951 and
lasted for a year. The sequels took place in the fictional Scotland
Yard Black Museum, which contained artifacts from gruesome murder
cases. Welles would stroll through the museum to open the show.
An item would catch his eye and quickly prompt him to tell a
fascinating murder story. Because Welles was such a great yarn-spinner,
many British citizens actually thought a Black Museum existed.
"When we were running it on the BBC, Scotland Yard called
the BBC up and asked would you please announce that 'The Black
Museum' isn't a museum at all because we've been getting hundreds
of calls from people who want tours," Michelson recalled.
"Dragnet," which went on to become a huge TV hit, was
the first police drama to offer its listeners realism. Jack Webb
starred as the main character, Sgt. Joe Friday of the Los Angeles
Police Department. "Dragnet" fans can tune in to this
show on Tuesday evenings.
Other programs include: "Night Beat," a newspaper series;
"The Damon Runyon Theater," wise-guy drama and horse-racing
tales; "Voyage of the Scarlet Queen," sailing adventures;
and "Screen Directors Playhouse," radio adaptations
of hit movies. KJOI's series features: "Duffy's Tavern,"
"Our Miss Brooks," "The Great Gildersleeve,"
"Ellery Queen," "Perry Mason," "Academy
Award Theatre" and "The Traveler."